RHS to host 6A state hoops tourneyRussellville will host the Class 6A State Basketball Tournament March 1-5 after its bid was approved by the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) over Lake Hamilton. Like Russellville, Lake Hamilton recently completed construction on a new arena. Russellville Athletic Director Johnny Johnson said he wasn’t sure what swayed the vote in the Cyclones’ favor. “You never know,” he said. “And you don’t know how many votes you got, but I’m sure it wa...

Pottsville sweeps DardanelleDARDANELLE — The Pottsville Apaches defeated Dover 44-34 on Friday. The Apaches trailed 12-8 after the first period and 21-18 at halftime, but Pottsville established a 33-23 lead at the end of the third. “I thought we did a great job of executing our defensive game plan,” Apaches head coach Shane Thurman said. “Jacob Chisum came off the bench and got us going offensively. His contribution was huge tonight.” Pottsville was led by Kyle Reynolds ...

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Dover inducts five into Hall of FameDOVER — Five former Pirates were inducted into the Dover Athletic Hall of Fame during Saturday night’s banquet inside the Dover High School Cafeteria. The inductees were Randy Schrock, Ricky Reddell, Christi Shuffield Shoulders, Jessica Rutlege Smith and Charlie McAlister. McAlister McAlister graduated from Dover High School in 1997. He earned All-Conference in 1995 and 1996 in football and All-State in 1996. He was on the KARV Dream Team in 1...

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Wildcats thump QuitmanQUITMAN — The Hector Wildcats defeated Quitman Bulldogs 51-41 on Friday. After tying the scoring 6-6 at the end of the first period, Hector took a 17-16 lead into halftime. After the third period, the Wildcats were up 30-23. Hector was led in scoring by Rustin Hays with 17 points. Tanner Gaines had 14 points. Jalen Ferguson scored 10 points. Quitman was led by Trey McGhee with 23 points. Quitman SG 61, Hector 30 The Lady Wildcats were upended ...

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Atkins won’t host ACH rodeoATKINS — The City Council was very disappointed to hear Tuesday night that the Atkins Riding Club voted not to host its annual Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) Rodeo and Fireworks Show in 2016. Atkins Mayor Jerry Don Barrett said Lewis Schmoll addressed the council and talked about the “perils” of the riding club. The mayor noted city and county contractors have worked in improvements at the Atkins Riding Arena that were about 65 percent com...

Sand Lizards seeking spot as state champsDARDANELLE — The Dardanelle Sand Lizards soccer team came up short in the 2015 Class 4A State Tournament after going undefeated in the regular season. The Sand Lizards won 16 straight games but lost when it mattered most — to the Central Arkansas Christian Mustangs in the semifinals of the state tournament. It’s a wrong this year’s team aims to amend. “I feel the same way the kids feel, like they’ve got something to accomplish,” Dardanelle hea...

Hocker signs 'futures contract' with BengalsFormer Russellville Cyclones and Arkansas Razorback kicker Zach Hocker could get another shot at the NFL next season. Hocker signed a "futures contract" with the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 5. A futures contract allows a team secure rights to a player if they think the player has potential, thus denying another team the opportunity to sign them. A team can sign futures contracts as soon as the team's season is over. A futures contract does not ...

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Wonder Boys baseball, Suns softball 5th in GAC pollWith the start of the 2016 baseball season just 18 days away, the coaches of the Great American Conference have picked the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys to finish fifth in the league’s preseason poll, released Tuesday by the league office. The Wonder Boys finished in a tie for fourth place last season after posting a 30-21 record with a 16-10 Great American Conference mark. 2015 GAC Player of the Year Patrick Castleberry has departed, but three re...

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ATU basketball heads to OBUArkansas Tech University’s stretch of three consecutive Great American Conference basketball doubleheaders away from home will reach its conclusion today, when it takes on Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. The Golden Suns and the Wonder Boys will return home to host Southern Arkansas University for 1 and 3 p.m. GAC contests at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville on Saturday. Tickets for Saturday’s games ($5 adults, $3 students and senior...

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Dugger trey lifts Apaches to victoryPOTTSVILLE — It wasn’t the play that Pottsville Apaches head coach Shane Thurman designed, but it was the one that worked. With 4.1 seconds left in the game, Josh Dugger took a charge to stop the clock. Dugger inbounded to brother Jake Dugger, who hit a soaring, 30-foot 3-pointer from the right wing to put Pottsville up 49-46 over the Clinton Yellow Jackets on the buzzer inside George Jones Gymnasium. “We had a play we wanted to run,” Thurman ...

JC Westside gets sweep of HackettCOAL HILL — Johnson County Lady Rebels head coach Shannon McBee knew the Hackett Hornets would prove a tough test for his team, and he was right. The Lady Rebels (16-2, 6-0 2A-4 West Conference) trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half during their 59-53 win over the Hackett Lady Hornets on Tuesday. “It was tough, though,” McBee admitted. “We came out flatter than a pancake. They got the momentum and we had to fight back. That was the...

Pirates’ good shooting guns down DardanelleDOVER — The Dover Pirates struck down the Dardanelle Sand Lizards 70-55 on Tuesday. “We were not very sharp defensively tonight,” Sand Lizards head coach Russell Sturdivant said. “Dover shoots the ball too well to give up the looks we did to them on the 3-point line. We hit a scoring drought in the third quarter, and they continued to score, and that was the difference in the game. We have to be better defensively to beat teams in this league....

Russellville comes up short to ConwayThe Russellville Cyclones were derailed 47-42 by the Conway Wampus Cats on Tuesday inside Cyclone Arena. Russellville (8-5, 1-1 7A/6A-Central Conference) led at the end of three periods, but when Conway (6-8, 2-0) took a 41-10 lead with 2:50 left in the game, the Cyclones couldn’t recover. Russellville tried to put the Wampus Cats on the foul line, but solid shooting from Conway and cold shooting from the Cyclones doomed their final moments in...

Lady Cyclones’ win streak endsThe Russellville Lady Cyclones saw their hopes of an undefeated season come to an end on Tuesday inside Cyclone Arena. And, of course, it would be to the Conway Lady Wampus Cats. Russellville (12-1, 1-1 7A/6A-Central Conference) matched but did not beat the Lady Cyclones’ previous longest win streak in team history. The 2010-11 Lady Cyclones opened 12-0 but lost in the Harrison Tournament to Prairie Grove. Russellville fell 65-52 during Tuesda...

Junior Apaches move to 15-0CLINTON — The Pottsville Junior Apaches’ win streak improved to 15 on Monday after a 48-25 win over the Clinton Junior Yellow Jackets. Pottsville (15-0, 5-0 4A-4 Conference) led 9-8 after the first period an 27-12 at halftime. After the third period, the Junior Apaches were up 46-18. “This was our most important game in a while,” Pottsville head coach Garrett Hill said. “Clinton was undefeated in conference too, so the guys understood it was a...

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Lady Gators rout LamarOLA — The Two Rivers Lady Gators defeated the Lamar Lady Warriors 56-38 on Friday after trailing 19-16 in the first half. “It was a tale of two halves,” Two Rivers head coach Lyn Alexander said after the game. “We played about as bad as possible in the first half and about as good as we could in the second.” Lady Gators point guard Savannah Hodges, who had missed four games due to an illness, returned to the floor in the second half. Hodges ra...

JC West prepares for Hackett testCOAL HILL — The Johnson County Lady Rebels will play their first home game in 12 games today against the Hackett Lady Hornets. Lady Rebels (14-2, 5-0 2A-4 West) head coach Shannon McBee said the team is excited to bring the product back home. “Hackett is the second best team in our conference behind us, so I think the atmosphere is going to be really big,” McBee said. “We have great fans. Our fans are outstanding. You have to play regionals, d...

Hector tops WYC 71-45HAVANA — The Hector Wildcats picked up a 71-45 win over the Western Yell County Wolverines on Friday. Hector led 17-13 after the first quarter and 30-27 at halftime. After the third period, the Wildcats were up 53-34. Rustin Hays led everyone in scoring with 22 points. Dalton Day had 13 points. Brett Gray scored eight points. Jaden Graham and Jalen Ferguson scored six points each. Western Yell County was led by Seth Jeffcoat. The Lady Wildcats...

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Cold shooting dooms ApachesOZARK — A scoring drought in the second half led to the Pottsville Apaches 58-43 loss to the Ozark Hillbillies on Friday. Pottsville led 18-13 after the first quarter and 26-23 at halftime, but the Apaches slipped behind 37-32 in the third quarter. Pottsville head coach Shane Thurman said cold shooting cost his team the game. “We played hard, but we struggled to convert shots that we usually make,” he said. The Apaches move to 11-3 on the seas...